load of old bells

[tykeboy2003]

If it's got to the point where you need to operate both brakes, it's too late for a bell anyway, so let's knock the "dangerous" claim on the head.

I like bells because they carry further than my voice, don't interrupt conversations as much and are easier to understand than a cyclist shouting the name "Anya Wright", but I know opinions differ and I don't get too excited about it.

The menace are those cyclists who sneak up with neither bell nor greeting.

Couldn't agree more. I get far more positive responses from pedestrians to the use of my bell than I ever did from a shout.....

[tykeboy2003]

Either way, whatever device - or voice - we are using, I do think it is endemic in all of us to promote happy relations with the rest of mankind, by saying: 'Thank you' once we have passed by.

Spot on.

[Tiggertoo]

If it weren't for the language I'd seriously consider moving to Germany...

Nothing really stopping you? There has been great advantage to Britain with Germany being hundreds of miles from us during two world wars. How quickly some transfer allegiances. "Lest we forget".

[MikeF]

Just get a bell and use it in good time. Grumpy dog walkers like me will appreciate it as will the dogs who have better hearing than humans and will be alerted to your approach sooner than you using your voice which they will probably ignore.

Indeed. 8-10 seconds is usually sufficient time, and gives time for both to respond.
Something that really irritates me is cyclists who have no idea how to use a bell and then rant about pedestrians complaining as though it's their fault.

I have a drop-bar bike (traditional old tourer). There is an old "ding-a-ling" bell mounted on the stem. I use it. And I find that on car-free paths some people don't hear it. So, I find I have to slow down, ring more (fine, I'm on a shared use car-free path, not a cycle-only-speed-route).
Or, people hear it when I'm closer and leap into the verge - a far from necessary action on a wide shared use path: I just wish to warn them of approach from behind, not instruct them to leave the path.

I've yet to find a really good bike bell. Tried a few, and the best I have is 40-plus year old ding-a-ling. The modern cheap "ping" types fitted to many bikes at shops to conform to point-of-sale regulations are near quiet and useless. The expensive "Knog" has a really nice tone, looks very nice, but doesn't project the sound well enough to be really useful.


- Nigel

Indeed. That's why I said 8-10 seconds is usually sufficient time, and gives time for both to respond.
I have a "modern (2014) cheap ping type bell" and it's certainly very audible to pedestrians so much so I dampen it (with a finger) if I'm likely to startle them. I agree some are useless though. I have a BBB bell on another bike and that seems quite good. Both bikes have drop bars.

[Steve X]

But every now and then I encounter a grumpy pedestrian for whom 'hiya' or 'passing on your left' or whatever is just not good enough and they are compelled to shout 'where's your bell!'.

Riding along a very busy bike path yesterday, and my belief that people are not good at sharing was confirmed. After being told to get a bell a dozen times I snapped, sorry

Pedestrian to my Wife. Get a bell
Me. She has.
Pedestrian. Well ring it then.
My Wife. I did twice
Pedestrian. Well I did not hear it.
Me. The wash your flaming ears out (Sorry, my Bad)
Pedestrian and friends burst into giggles.

Serious point though. Never assume a Pedestrian hears your bell or has and is being awkward, I often find they are just in a world of their own, which really is quite nice. Or they could be Deaf or earphones in.

[peetee]

But every now and then I encounter a grumpy pedestrian for whom 'hiya' or 'passing on your left' or whatever is just not good enough and they are compelled to shout 'where's your bell!'.

Riding along a very busy bike path yesterday, and my belief that people are not good at sharing was confirmed. After being told to get a bell a dozen times I snapped, sorry

Pedestrian to my Wife. Get a bell
Me. She has.
Pedestrian. Well ring it then.
My Wife. I did twice
Pedestrian. Well I did not hear it.
Me. The wash your flaming ears out (Sorry, my Bad)
Pedestrian and friends burst into giggles.

Serious point though. Never assume a Pedestrian hears your bell or has and is being awkward, I often find they are just in a world of their own, which really is quite nice. Or they could be Deaf or earphones in.

There will always be someone with an axe to grind. I dare say that conversation could have had many more exchanges and they still wouldn’t change their opinion.
I met a couple on a country lane. I have a bell on my off-road bikes but I was on my road bike so approaching from behind and slowing to walking pace I gave a cheery “good morning”. They both spun round with a look that suggested they had inadvertently strayed onto the main line to Paddington and were two seconds away from ‘catching’ the 10:34. With me still 20ft away they grumbled something along the lines of “Another bl**dy cyclist without a bell”. So even a well-established, non class/gender/occupation specific universal salutation isn’t enough to stop some people being grumpy old farts.

[[XAP]Bob]

If it weren't for the language I'd seriously consider moving to Germany...

Nothing really stopping you? There has been great advantage to Britain with Germany being hundreds of miles from us during two world wars. How quickly some transfer allegiances. "Lest we forget".

Lest we forget indeed... I see deep parallels between 1930s German politics and current UK politics.

[ChrisButch]

I've done a lot of walking recently on our local canal towpath, which is also a NCN route. My hearing is poor. I am, then, a fairly typical 'customer' of cyclists' various warnings and alerts
Two things I've found about bells, which are universally of the simple ping type.
Firstly, it's not immediately recognisable as a bell. For some seconds I'm wondering whether it's an animal or other mechanical sound.
Secondly, the sound is difficult to orient: rather than the towpath, it could be coming from the fields or woods nearby, and could just as easily be from the front as the back, or above my head.
By the time I've worked out what it is, the rider is often upon me, and I find myself profusely over-apologising in order to dispel that rider's impression that I might be deliberately obstructive.
The human voice, by contrast, I can immediately recognise for what it is, even though I can rarely understand what's being said. And having recognised it as human, I'm immediately aware that it must be coming from the towpath, as the surroundings aren't populated. Embarrassment and irritation are therefore a lot less likely.

[peetee]

Thanks for including your experiences ChrisButch. Without meaning to intrude, only to make the best of any future encounters I may have, could you comment as to whether your audible awareness is typical for someone with partial hearing?

[ChrisButch]

I'm no audiologist, but as far as I know problems with sound orientation are quite typical of those with moderate to severe hearing loss. Those problems (at least in my experience) aren't much alleviated by the current generation of hi-tec digital hearing aids.

[rotavator]

[/quote]

I've yet to find a really good bike bell. Tried a few, and the best I have is 40-plus year old ding-a-ling. The modern cheap "ping" types fitted to many bikes at shops to conform to point-of-sale regulations are near quiet and useless. The expensive "Knog" has a really nice tone, looks very nice, but doesn't project the sound well enough to be really useful.

- Nigel
[/quote]
Have you tried a Crane Riten "dring dring" type bell? They are pricey, e.g. £21 at Brick Lane Bikes, but probably cheaper than the total cost of my other cheaper bells. I tried mine out for the first time yesterday on a busy mixed use path and got a good response from most pedestrians and no grumpy comments.

[RickH]

The note of a typical ping type bell is very similar to the default notification sound of the Facebook Messenger App. If you find walkers reaching for their phones instead of looking round that is probably why!

My friend's tandem, that I pilot for her, has a hooter. That seems good at attracting attention & usually gets a smile too. But then the tandem tends to have that effect anyway.

After a long time of not bothering, I finally stumped up for a Lion Bellworks bell (https://www.lionbellworks.co.uk/). That has a deeper tone & a long sustain which does seem much better then my previous experiences at getting people's attention from a good range.

[Manc33]

Ones with headphones that do move over if you say something.
Are they pretending to listen to music.

[[XAP]Bob]

I'm no audiologist, but as far as I know problems with sound orientation are quite typical of those with moderate to severe hearing loss. Those problems (at least in my experience) aren't much alleviated by the current generation of hi-tec digital hearing aids.

I used to be able to pinpoint sounds with great precision - now I can't find anything by sound. I can work out which room a sound is it because that's the room it's loudest in... but that's pretty much it

[Tiggertoo]

With the general cacophony of sounds with which we are assailed in this modern world, I would think that not being able to hear much of it must be a God-send.